RACES INFO - County Fire StationsOn Friday, September 21st, at 2000, the MDC Section will hold its next regular section-wide Echolink net on the "WASH_DC" Node 6154 server, which is sponsored by John Creel (WB3GXW).

Everyone is welcome to check in.

A number of repeaters in the section are connected to Echolink, including the 147.225+ (PL 156.7) repeater in Calverton. Check your local repeater directory if you wish to check in via RF.

The former Amateur Radio Emergency Communications (AREC) series of three training courses has been reconfigured into two courses: An introductory course and a course for leaders and managers. Revised in 2011, this is an update of the former Level 1 course. It is designed to provide basic knowledge and tools for hams who want to serve as a Public Service volunteer. It provides an opportunity for non-hams who rely on communications in emergency situations to learn about Amateur Radio and its unique role in emergencies.

The course is offered online using the Moodle learning platform. The Introduction to Emergency Communication course has six sections with 29 lesson topics and a 35 question final assessment. Participants should plan on completing the course in approximately 45 hours over a nine week period. This is a mentored course, in which you may work according to your own schedule. Cost is $50 for ARRL members and $85 for non-members.

For start dates, registration deadlines and more visit here on the ARRL Website.Various Levels of Howard County RACES certification may be obtained by completing the appropriate courses listed in the table below.

ALL Step 1 COURSES PLUS
IS-700 National Incident Management System, NIMS, An Introduction
IS-394 Protecting Your Home Or Small Business From Disaster [replaces IS-292]
[Those who have completed IS-292 are "grandfathered"